Time controlled mechanism



Aug. 23, 1938. J. .1. NOETH ET AL 2,127,749

TIME CONTROLLED MECHANISM Filed Aug. 10, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q M Z n i. o; i 522 9 o ll u Ww m l Q v 0 O 0 D O 0 ltllltlllllllllllli Filed Aug. 10, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 23, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE John J. Noeth and Frederick E. Hummel, Chicago, Ill.

Application August 10, 1935, Serial No. 35,573

4 Claims.

The invention relates to time-controlled mechanism.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and improved construction in which the movement of the device to be shifted is controlled by a reciprocatory element provided with a rack and wheel for engaging the rack in connection with a motor for checking the movement of the wheel to control the operation of the device.

Another object is to provide a construction in which the pinion or wheel is mounted to rotate on a fixed axis and the rack is free to move relatively to the pinion in the setting of the device.

Another object is to provide a construction in which the motor, switch, reduction gearing and pinion of the checking mechanism are unitarily mounted for convenient assembly with the supporting column.

Other objects will appear from the detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a vertical section. of an egg-boiler embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the checking mechanism, the supporting column being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the checking motor and a portion of the supporting column. Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the supporting column, looking toward the front. Fig. 6 is a perspective showing the checking pinion and switch controlling arm in the supporting column. Fig. '7 is a section on line I'I of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the motor-switch, parts being shown in section.

The invention is exemplified in an egg-boiler comprising a vessel or boiler Iii, which is adapted to contain hot or boiling water and has an open top; a hollow standard II, rectangular in crosssection, having its lower end fixed to the vessel; a basket or holder I2, movable vertically into and out of the vessel and adapted to contain eggs or the material to be boiled; a chain I3 which is looped around a sheave which is rotatablymounted in the upper end of the standard i I, the chain having one of its ends connected to the holder 12 by a lost motion connection; and a weight I4 which is slidably guided in the standard II, is connected to the other end of said weight through a rack I6, and is adapted when the rack is released, as hereinafter described, to raise the holder out of the vessel. A vertically adjustable bar-type stop IT in the standard has teeth releasably engaging the standard so it can be set to limit the upward movement of weight I4 and correspondingly vary the periods at the end of which the weight will be checked before lifting the holder.

The rack I6 is provided with ratchet-teeth I6 which are adapted to engage corresponding teeth 520 on a pinion or wheel 2|] in the standard II. Said pinion is fixed to a shaft The pinion 2i! is motor-controlled so the lowering movement of the weight I4 and rack I6 will be checked according to the retardance of the motor. A link 22 is pivotally connected to the lower end of rack l6 and the upper end of the weight M to permit transverse movement of the rack for the slippage of the ratchet teeth ifi over the teeth Ell on the pinion 2%! when the holder I2 is lowered and the weight I4 is raised for the commencement of a time-controlled operation. The upper end of rack I6 is pivotally connected to the end-link of chain I3. in the standard II. When the holder I2 is lowered by the operator, it will descend until the weight I4 encounters the adjustable stop H, the rack it being movable toward and from the pinion 2i! by reason of its pivotal connections with the weight I4 and the chain It, so the rack will slip over the teeth of the pinion Eli during this setting movement.

An electric motor is provided and operatively connected through reduction gearing to the pinion 26 to check the drop of the weight I4 and the lifting of the holder I2 during the controlled periods. The motor is of the induction type and comprises a stator or field 25 and a rotor 26. The stator is composed of laminations with legs 25 shading-rings 25 and a coil 25. The rotor 26 is carried by a shaft 27. The stator is secured to a supporting plate 28 in which the shaft 2'! is journaled, by spacing posts 21*. which are secured to said plate and the stator. Plate 28 is secured by screws 29 to lugs 38* projecting from the outer face of a mountingplate 3E3. The rotor 2% of the motor is connected to the pinion 20 in the hollow standard II through a pinion 3| fixed to the shaft 21 of the rotor, and a gear 32 which meshes with pinion 3| and is fixed to the outer end of the shaft 28 which is integral with the ratchet pinion 20. Shaft 20 is journaled in a bearing 36' in mounting-plate 3U.

Mounting-plate is provided with integral posts or lugs 33 and 34, which project through an opening 35 in the side of the standard II. These lugs are secured by screws 36 which pass through the opposite side of the standard II to support removably the mounting-plate 30. The lug 34 has a spring 34 which serves to check the rack I6 prior to its engagement with the pinion 20. The mounting-plate 30 also has a portion 3'! fitting in the opening 35 in the standard. As a result of this construction, the mounting-plate 3!], which carries the motor and the reduction gearing and the pinion 20, may be readily connected to, and detached from, the standard, the

GOI

pinion 20 and its shaft being removable from the standard with the mounting-plate, and through opening 35.

The switch for the motor comprises a pair of contacts 40, which are slidably mounted in an insulating block M which is secured to the mounting-plate 30. The line-wires 50 for supplying current to the motor are respectively connected to contacts 49. A spring 42 is applied to each of these contacts. A contact-plate 43, adapted to bridge contacts 48, 40, is fixed to and insulated from, a lever 44, which has its lower end adjustably fixed by a screw 45 to a shaft 45, which is journaled in mounting-plate 33. A spring 41 coiled around a rod 48, is applied normally to hold the lever 44 against a fixed stop 49. Rod 48 is adapted to slide through an opening 48 in lever 44 and has its outer end fixed in a lug 5| on plate 30.

This switch is automatically controlled to close the circuit for the motor when the holder I2 is lowered and the weight I4 is raised, and to open the switch when the holder is raised and the weight I4 released. For this purpose, the shaft 46 of the switch lever 44 extends through and is journaled in a bearing 52 in the mounting-plate 30 and has aiiixed to its inner end a curved shoe or arm 53. The free end of shoe 53 extends normally into the path of the untoothed side of rack I6 and is normally free to permit spring 4i to hold the switch open. When the rack i6 is raised it will engage the shoe 53 and swing it sufiiciently to rock shaft 46 and lever 44 to close the circuit for the motor. So long as the shoe 53 is held by rack I6 during the checked movement of the rack, the switch will remain closed to render the motor operative to check the lowering movement of the rack and weight I4. When the upper end of the rack I6, in its descent, clears the shoe 53,

spring 4'! will shift lever 44 to open the switch, the shaft 46 and shoe 53 being rocked with lever 44. This opening of the switch occurs when the uppermost teeth I6 or rack I6 clear the teeth 2th of pinion 2%, so that the motor will be stopped substantially concurrently with the release of the weight I4.

The several parts of the switch for the motor and the means for automatically controlling the switch from the movements of the rack IS are all mounted on, and carried by, the mounting-plate 30, so that they will be unitarily removable with the mounting-plate, the pinion 29, the reduction gearing and the motor. The mountingplate is disposed at one side of the hollow standard and, by removing screws 36, the entire checking unit can be removed from the standard for repair or replacement.

The operation will be as follows: When the boiler is inoperative, the holder I2 will be raised and the Weight I4 will be lowered, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. At such time the rack iii will be below pinion 2G and switch-controlling shoe 53 so that said shoe will be free to permit spring 4? to hold the lever 44 in position to separate contact plate 43 from contacts 41'! (Fig. 8), so the motor circuit will be open.

For a boiling operation, the operator will set the adjustable stop i'I according to the desired dura' tion of the boiling period. The position of the stop I! will determine the stroke of the rack I 6 and the time required before it is released. After setting the stop H, the user will lower the holder I2 into the boiler IE, to submerge the food to be cooked and pull the chain I3 until the weight I4 is arrested by the lower end of the stop I'I. During this setting of the holder, rack I6, by reason of its pivotal connection with the chain I3 and the weight I4, will be free to move laterally so its teeth I5 will slip over the teeth 220 of pinion 20. The upper end of the rack-bar IE will shift the shoe 53 to rock shaft 46 and lever 44 to close the switch 4G, 40, 43, and the motor circuit, so that the motor will begin to operate.

The motor, which is of the slow-operating type, will rotate, through pinion 3I, gear 32 and shaft 20 the pinion 20, which holds the rack I6 raised. The rotation of the pinion 20 will continue until the rack I6, in its descent, disengages the pinion, whereupon the weight I4 will be free to drop and will raise the holder I2 through rack It and chain I3 out of the vessel I0. Simultaneously, the shoe 53 of the automatically controlled motor switch will be released by the rack it to open the motor switch and cause the motor to stop. The duration of the boiling operation will vary according to the setting of the adjustable stop Il, which varies the range of movement between the upper end of the rack I6 and the pinion 28, so that the timing of an operation will be determined by the uniform rate of checking and the variable stroke of rack IS.

The invention exemplifies an improved construction in which the rack which coacts with the pinion in checking the time-controlled movement of the plate is normally guided to engage the pinion, but is free, through its pivotal connections with the chain and weight, to slip over the pinion in setting the device. The invention also exemplifies a construction with a unitarily readily removable and replaceable mounting and check ing mechanism, including a motor, controlling switch, checking pinion, reduction gearing, and controlling-shoe; also, a construction which is simple and efficient, reliable in operation, and can be produced at a low cost.

The invention is not be understood as restricted to the details set forth, since these may be modifled within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A time controlled mechanism comprising a hollow standard with a sheave at its upper end, a mounting plate beneath the sheave and at one side of the standard, having posts extending through an opening in said one side of and to the opposite side of the standard and secured removably to the standard by screws extending through the standard and into the posts, a device disposed outside of the standard and adapted to be raised automatically and lowered manually, a flexible connector extending over the sheave and having one end thereof connected to the device and its other end extending downwards into the standard, a toothed wheel disposed in the upper end of the standard beneath the sheave and mounted on the mounting plate for rotation on a fixed axis, a weight member vertically movable and guided in the standard, a vertically movable rack-member in the standard extending between and connected to the weight-member and said other end of the connector and adapted when the device is lowered and the weight-member is thus caused to be raised to be slid into engagement with the wheel and further adapted in response to drive of the wheel in one direction to be moved downwards until it is freed from the wheel and then to permit the weightmember to descend in the standard and cause the device automatically to raise, means for driving the toothed wheel in said one direction comprising an electric motor mounted on and disposed outside of the mounting plate, a switch for controlling the motor carried by the mounting plate on the outside thereof, and a movable switch controlling shoe in the standard mounted on the plate so that it is in the path of one of the members and is adapted when the device is lowered and the rack member is brought into engagement with the toothed wheel to be engaged by said member and moved into a position wherein it serves to close the switch and when said rack member is freed from the toothed wheel to become disengaged from said one member and to return automatically into a position wherein it serves to open the switch.

2. A time controlled mechanism comprising a hollow standard with a sheave at its upper end, a mounting plate beneath the sheave and at one side of the standard, having posts extending through an opening in said one side of the standard and to the opposite side of the standard and secured removably to the standard by screws extending through said opposite side to said other standard side and into the posts, a device disposed outside of the standard and adapted to be raised automatically and lowered manually, a flexible connector extending over the sheave and having one end thereof connected to the device and its other end extending downwards into the standard, a toothed wheel disposed in the upper end of the standard beneath the sheave and mounted on the mounting plate for rotation on a fixed axis, a weight vertically movable and guided in the standard, a vertically movable rack in the standard extending between and connected to the Weight and said other end of the connector and adapted when the device is lowered and the weight is thus caused to be raised to be slid into engagement with the wheel and further adapted in response to drive of the wheel in one direction to be moved downwards until it is freed from the wheel and then to permit the weight to descend in the standard and cause the device automatically to raise, means for driving the toothed wheel in said one direction comprising an electric motor mounted on and disposed outside of the mounting plate, a switch for controlling the motor carried by the mounting plate on the outside thereof, and amovable switch controlling shoe in the upper end of the standard mounted on the mounting plate adjacent to the toothed wheel and the path of the rack and adapted when the rack is brought into engagement with the wheel to be moved by the rack into a position wherein it serves to close the switch and when the rack is freed from the wheel to return to a position wherein it serves to open the switch.

3. A time controlled mechanism comprising a hollow standard with a sheave at its upper end, a mounting plate beneath the sheave and at one side of the standard, having posts extending through an opening in said one side of the standard and to the opposite side of the standard and secured removably to the standard by screws extending through said opposite side to said other standard side and into the posts, a device disposed outside of the standard and adapted to be raised automatically and lowered manually,

a flexible connector extending over the sheave and having one end thereof connected to the device and its other end extending downwards into the standard, a toothed wheel disposed in the upper end of the standard beneath the she-ave and mounted on the mounting plate for rotation on a fixed axis, a weight vertically movable and guided in the standard, a vertically movable rack in the standard extending between and connected to the weight and said other end of the connector and adapted when the device is lowered and the weight is thus caused to be raised to be slid into engagement with the wheel and further adapted in response to drive of the wheel in one direction to be moved downwards until itis freed from the wheel and then to permit the weight to descend in the standard and cause the device automatically to rise, means for driving the toothed wheel in said one direction comprising an electric motor and speed reducing gearing mounted on and disposed outside of the mounting plate, a switch for controlling the motor also mounted on and disposed outside of the mounting plate, and a switch controlling shoe in the upper end of the standard pivotally mounted on the plate adjacent to the toothed wheel and in the path of the rack and adapted when the rack is brought into engagement with the wheel to be moved by the rack into a position wherein it serves to close the switch and when the rack is freed from the wheel to return to a position wherein it serves to open the switch.

4. A time controlled mechanism comprising a hollow standard with a sheave at its upper end and a removable mounting plate beneath the sheave and forming a part of one side of the standard, a device disposed outside of the standard and adapted to be raised automatically and lowered manually, a flexible connector extending over the sheave and having one end thereof connected to the device and its other end extending downwards into the standard, a toothed wheel disposed in the upper end of the standard beneath the sheave and mounted on the mounting plate for rotation on a fixed axis, a weight vertically movable and guided in the standard, a vertically movable rack in the standard extending between and connected to the weight and said other end of the connector and adapted when the device is lowered and the weight is thus caused to be raised to be slid into engagement with the wheel and further adapted in response to drive of the wheel in one direction to be moved downwards until it is freed from the wheel and then to permit the weight to descend in the standard and cause the device automatically to rise, means for driving the toothed wheel in said one direction comprising an electric motor mounted on the outside of the mounting plate, a circuit for supplying current to the motor and means whereby the circuit is automatically closed when the rack is in engagement with the toothed wheel comprising a switch lever and contacts mounted on the outer side of the plate, a rack controlled shoe inside of the standard, and. a shaft extending through and journaled in the plate and having the shoe and lever mounted on opposite ends thereof.

JOHN J. NOETH. FREDERICK E. HUMMEL. 

